Certain vehicles are manufactured for use both on hardened roadways and off road and across rough terrain. The wheel assemblies for such vehicles are structured to support the vehicle body higher above the underlying road or ground than are vehicles intended for road use alone. As a result, many vehicles intended for both on road and off road use often have a side step positioned below the doorway upon which a passenger can step when entering and exiting the vehicle. The side steps are functional, but are also decorative and enhance the overall appearance of the vehicle to which they are attached. Some of the side steps, for example, those made for vehicles under the trademark Hummer, are cylindrical in shape and may be either painted or chrome. The side steps are also positioned against or below the rocker panels of the vehicle where they are easily damaged by obstacles along the path of the vehicle.
When such vehicles having side steps are taken off road, it is desirable to remove the decorative side steps so they will not be damaged by large stones and other hard objects encountered on the rough terrain across which the vehicle is being driven. Where the side steps are cylindrical, the ends of the side steps include bends that direct the ends thereof underneath the body of the vehicle where they are received in mounting brackets that retain the side steps to the vehicle body. Such mounting brackets, however, extend downwardly from the lower surface of the vehicle and the mounting brackets themselves become damaged during off road use. Even where the mounting brackets are not damaged, they often become encrusted with mud and the like which may be hard to remove and interferes with the insertion of the cylindrical ends of the side steps into the retaining brackets. It would be desirable therefore, to provide an improved mounting for removably retaining a side step to a vehicle where the side step would not be mounted in a retainer positioned below the bottom of the vehicle.